Healthcare
December 22, 2022
Maria Komariah, Kusman Ibrahim, Tuti Pahria et al.
74 citations
A randomized controlled trial with 122 Indonesian university students tested whether a four-week mindfulness breathing meditation program (15 minutes per session) could reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. The intervention group showed a statistically significant reduction in these symptoms compared to the control group on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-42). No differences were found based on religion. The findings suggest that brief mindfulness meditation can help improve psychological well-being among university students.
Healthcare
June 16, 2020
Chao Liu, Hao Chen, Chia-Yi Liu et al.
61 citations
An 8-week loving-kindness meditation training improved subjective well-being and spirituality among 98 flight attendants randomly assigned to either the meditation or a waiting control group. Mindfulness did not change significantly. The control group showed no changes in any measure. The authors suggest that loving-kindness meditation may help enhance well-being and spirituality, but the mechanisms behind these effects require further study.
Healthcare
May 16, 2025
Sean Matthew Viña
5 citations
Structural inequalities in healthcare access may shape how people experience the psychological effects of psychedelics. Analyzing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008–2019; 484,732 participants), private health insurance was associated with lower psychological distress, while public insurance was associated with higher distress. Psychedelic use moderated these associations: it reinforced the protective pattern linked to private insurance and intensified distress among those with public coverage. Among women, psilocybin and LSD use were linked to lower distress for those with private insurance but higher distress for those with public insurance; among men, psychedelic use did not significantly alter the association. Psychedelics do not mitigate structural inequalities and may exacerbate them.
Healthcare
March 6, 2026
Fabio D’Antoni, Fabio Mattiussi, Cristiano Crescentini
2 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), particularly Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, improve grief-related distress, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being in bereaved individuals. These interventions reduce rumination and experiential avoidance while increasing self-compassion and emotion regulation. Evidence from 17 studies, however, remains preliminary due to small sample sizes, varied outcome measures, and limited long-term follow-up. MBIs appear promising as adjunctive support in bereavement care, targeting acceptance, decentering, and self-compassion. High-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to establish efficacy and clarify mechanisms.
Healthcare
March 3, 2026
Paul Lie, Titus Lie, Madeleine Nguyen et al.
1 citation
Suicide rates are rising, and standard antidepressant medications (SSRIs) take 2–6 weeks to work, leaving a 1–3 month danger zone of high risk. Ketamine, a fast-acting NMDA receptor antagonist, works through the mTORC1 pathway to relieve depressive symptoms much more quickly, potentially eliminating this lag. This review proposes a hypothetical Bridge Protocol using a controlled, supervised subanesthetic dose of ketamine in a clinical setting, which the literature suggests has low addiction risk. However, the framework remains untested, and rigorous longitudinal studies are needed before widespread adoption.
Healthcare
September 12, 2025
Ariane Bélanger, Sue-Ling Chang, Jean-François Stephan et al.
1 citation
A decision aid for psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) was developed to help patients and healthcare professionals weigh risks and benefits when considering treatment for existential distress in serious illness. The booklet, created with a multidisciplinary steering committee following international standards, covers PAT education, treatment comparisons, and personal reflection. Feedback from five patients and five healthcare professionals guided refinements to improve clarity, balance, and usability. The final version met acceptability and usability criteria, offering balanced information to support shared decision-making in palliative care.
Healthcare
July 2, 2026
Ana Leonor Couto, Daniel Humberto Pozza, Ricardo João Teixeira et al.
A systematic review of 21 studies (14 randomized controlled trials and 7 non-randomized studies) suggests that Mindfulness-Based Interventions, primarily Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Compassion Cultivation Training, may reduce psychological stress in medical students. The interventions varied in type, format, and duration. The authors argue that integrating mindfulness into medical education could promote psychological resilience, but note that further research is needed to address methodological gaps.
Healthcare
July 2, 2026
Asrar Almutairi, Alya Alghamdi, Norah Mohammed Alyahya et al.
Twenty-one Saudi women with psychosis described their experiences from first episode through hospitalization and community living. Religious, cultural, familial, and gender-specific factors shaped their understanding of causes, help-seeking, and recovery. Clinical encounters and nursing care during admission highlighted the need for therapeutic healing spaces. In the community, medication adherence, family dynamics, and the pursuit of recovery through education, employment, and religious practice were central. Participants articulated user-based recovery perspectives—empowerment, shared decision-making, hope—that contrasted with the service-based approaches they received. Culturally specific stressors and pervasive stigma affected every phase of their journey.
Healthcare
March 16, 2026
Julie K. Staples, Jesse Rice, Kathleen S. Farah et al.
An 8-day mind-body medicine training program for incarcerated men and women produced significant improvements in resilience, depression, anxiety, stress, coping self-efficacy, optimism, meaning in life, and purpose in life. All gains were maintained at a 6-month follow-up. The most frequently practiced skills were soft belly breathing, meditation, and mindful eating. The uncontrolled study suggests such a program may benefit incarcerated people in other prison systems.
Healthcare
February 27, 2026
Mădălina Sarca, Adriana Cojocaru, Raluca Dumache et al.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies involving over 24,000 participants found that Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) produce moderate improvements in psychological outcomes, with a pooled effect size of Hedges' g = −0.45. Effects were slightly stronger for anxiety (g = −0.56) than for depression (g = −0.45). Programs lasting 8 to 12 weeks showed moderate to strong symptom reduction. MBIs that integrated gratitude components demonstrated modestly enhanced emotional benefits, suggesting a synergistic role. The review found low evidence of publication bias and acceptable risk of bias, supporting MBIs as scalable, cost-effective interventions in clinical and educational settings.
Healthcare
January 21, 2026
Emily Santos Montarroyos, Sara Lima, Raimundo Barreto et al.
Cancer pain and poor quality of life remain common for patients without access to specialized services. This protocol describes a randomized clinical trial that will test whether immersive virtual reality used as a meditation tool can help manage pain and improve well-being in cancer patients receiving palliative care at a specific Brazilian service. The trial, registered in Brazil and at ClinicalTrials.gov, aims to provide evidence that could support better clinical decisions for cancer pain management.
Healthcare
December 8, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Stefania Chiappini, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
Evidence for antipsychotic treatment in substance-induced psychotic disorders is scarce and uneven. A scoping review of 17 studies (3 randomized controlled trials, 10 observational studies, 4 case series) found that most evidence covers cannabis-induced (7 studies) and methamphetamine-induced (6 studies) psychosis. Randomized trials showed comparable efficacy between risperidone and haloperidol for cannabis-induced psychosis, and between quetiapine and haloperidol for methamphetamine-induced psychosis. Case series suggested potential benefits of third-generation antipsychotics like lurasidone and cariprazine. No controlled studies were identified for cocaine- or hallucinogen-induced psychoses. The authors conclude that substantial evidence gaps and limited methodological quality highlight urgent research needs.
Healthcare
November 25, 2025
Matthew Furnell, William van Gordon, James Elander
People high in neuroticism showed greater gains in prosocial behavior after a mindfulness intervention that included wisdom-based practices (contemplations on interdependence and the emptiness of self) along with concentration and ethics practices, compared to a similar intervention without the wisdom component or a waitlist control. High agreeableness improved well-being outcomes for both mindfulness interventions, while high openness improved well-being only for the intervention that included wisdom practices. The findings suggest that tailoring mindfulness programs to personality traits, especially by adding wisdom-based elements, may enhance their effectiveness for individuals prone to interpersonal sensitivity and self-protective tendencies.
Healthcare
October 1, 2024
Momoe Sakagami, Tomoe Yokono, H. Abeywickrama et al.
A brief, flexible self-breathing mindfulness training program improved trait mindfulness in 22 healthy adults aged 20–60 with no prior meditation or yoga experience. After four weeks, total scores on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire significantly increased from a median of 115.5 before the program to 129 after, with a medium effect size. Significant gains occurred in the observing, describing, and nonreactivity facets. The program required no fixed schedule and allowed interruptions, with participants practicing a mean of 26.4 days. The findings suggest that such a self-administered breathing practice can foster mindfulness even for people with busy schedules.
Healthcare
June 1, 2023
E. Mousavi, Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani, Habibolah Khazaie et al.
Among male wrestlers, a modified mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program reduced symptoms of stress and depression more than an active control condition. The MBSR group also showed greater decreases in salivary cortisol and serum creatine kinase, two physiological stress markers. The intervention involved 16 group sessions over eight weeks, while the control condition followed an identical schedule without bona fide interventions. The findings suggest MBSR may help lower both psychological and physiological stress indices in this population.
Healthcare
August 16, 2022
Riccardo Bortoletto, Marco Colizzi
Autism spectrum individuals are especially vulnerable to the pro-psychotic effects of cannabinoid exposure, which increases their risk of psychosis and may be passed to their children. Cannabis exposure in these individuals appears to cause disruptive epigenetic changes that can be inherited across generations in brain areas critical for schizophrenia. These cannabinoid-induced epigenetic effects also make autism candidate genes more vulnerable to later disruption, potentially leading to psychosis. The findings support a developmental link between autism and psychosis through endocannabinoid system modulation, though this evidence has been underappreciated.